Bloodlines, vol 1: Equinox
by Obsidian3
Summary: Sign a contract, wear a bracelet... How bad could it be? Well, ask a dangerous question...
1. Prologue

Title: Bloodlines, vol. 1 - Equinox (prologue)

Rating: PG-13, let's say?

Comments: The prologue takes place about midway through 'The Dead Girls' Dance', while the rest of the story takes place immediately after the book ends. AU. Also, my muse is evil. Consider yourselves warned.

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own The Morganville Vampires. (Any other fandoms that may or may not appear in the future will be addressed in the relevant chapters, so as to not spoil any possible surprises.) The OCs present, however, are mine. 

* * *

_This can't be happening. _

She had no idea how many times the thought had crossed her mind since all this had begun. A detached, remote corner of her brain had actually tried counting early on, but had long since given up. She was tempted to do the same, at times, but determination and sheer stubbornness had kept her going thus far.

There was going to come a point, though, when that wouldn't be enough. She was only human, after all. She had limits.

Limits she strongly suspected she was approaching even now.

She wasn't going to give up just yet, though. Shane was counting on her. And if she couldn't recruit Amelie to his defense...

It wasn't that Claire had expected the Founder to drop what she was doing and immediately leap to his rescue, especially after the failed attack during Shane's "trial". But there was a part of her, she realized, that had genuinely thought that, once Amelie had been made to understand that Shane was innocent, that she'd at least do _something. _Something other then... watch and wait.

Wait for _what_, exactly, Claire had no idea.

It wasn't working out that way.

She probably should have known better. Hadn't Amelie said it herself, back during that whole fiasco with the book? There were rules to living in Morganville. (She'd also called Claire "winsome", which - when she'd looked it up during a moment of calm later - she'd discovered meant cute. She honestly wasn't sure how to take that.) Why had she thought Amelie would listen to her?

_Don't know why she marked you, child, but she did. Now you just got to live with it. _

What did that even **mean**? Had Amelie placed some kind of psychic marker on her that amounted to a 'Hands off!' sign to other vampires? Because if so... it didn't seem to be doing much. And she herself didn't really _feel _any different.

If there was such a thing there, then, it obviously didn't matter. Right then, nothing seemed to matter. Even Shane's innocence didn't matter, according to Amelie. She'd been too stunned by that to correct the vampire's perception that she was Shane's lover. (Though it wasn't like she'd never _tried _to change that.) All she'd been able to do was sit there and cry. She'd been given a silken handkerchief and a quiet but definite dismissal, but it still took some effort just to get to her feet. Amelie seemed to understand.

When she saw the two bodyguards, she couldn't help but laugh. It started as a sad little chuckle, but quickly developed into full-fledged, borderline hysterical laughter. After everything that... This was just too much.

"Something amuses you?" Amelie asked her dryly. All Claire could do was wordlessly gesture to the guards, who simply stood there watching her. No doubt she wasn't the first person to have an emotional breakdown around the Founder. "I see. Shall I ask why?"

Claire was nearly doubled over by this point, and hadn't even noticed that her tears had started up again. Somehow, she managed to choke out a response. "T-Two of... For me? What... am I gonna..." Words failed her again, her laughter being the only thing keeping her from screaming.

And that was only just barely.

"Ah." Again, that faint amusement. "They are not here because of you. I suspect you could do me no harm, even if you wished to. As I've told you before, I'm never left alone."

Claire nodded, struggling desperately to get herself under control. There was no condemnation in Amelie's gaze - nor was there any pity, of course - but she doubted that the Founder really wanted to see her emotional collapse. "S-sorry," she managed. "I'm just... It all hit me at once, I guess."

"You need to sleep, Claire," Amelie advised, not unkindly. "Go home. We shall see how events play out."

Failure weighed heavily on Claire's chest, making it hard to breathe, but it was obvious that there was absolutely nothing she could do or say that would change Amelie's mind. "I doubt I could sleep right now if my life depended on it," she muttered, shaking her head. She began to walk toward the door, but halted after a step as something occurred to her. She was lost in thought for several moments before she finally managed to sort it out, and barely managed not to start laughing again. "Thank you," she said instead.

A raised eyebrow was the only thing to indicate that she'd finally managed to surprise Amelie. "For what, precisely?"

Claire turned to face her fully, not even stopping to dwell on the possible foolishness of locking eyes with a vampire, especially one as old and powerful as this one. She was past caring, just then. "For being honest with me. You know, ever since I set foot in Morganville, I think you're the first person who's ever been completely honest with me."

Her teachers and fellow students had all pretended that Morganville was a normal town, quietly dismissing any - valid, she now knew - worries she might have, and actively concealing the truth about the town from her.

Monica and her friends... Well, they just lied to everyone, didn't they? Including themselves. (And the whole planned murder thing didn't exactly endear her to them, either.)

Oliver was one of the bigger offenders in that respect, pretending to be some peace-and-love hippie... but she didn't want to think about him, yet. That, unfortunately, would come soon enough.

Even her housemates had lied to her. There had been Michael, trying to convince her that it was her age that made him want her gone at first, rather then worrying about the vampires. Trying to pretend that he wasn't dead half the day. That he wasn't trapped inside the house. He'd even been lying to Eve and Shane about that for a while. The house had needed a living resident, after all, and he hadn't quite counted anymore.

Eve had been the first to tell her about Morganville's undead residents, but even she had her secrets. Her brother, and Brandon... The latter of whom had ended up nearly _killing _Claire. She wasn't sure what she thought about the younger Rosser sibling, given that they'd never really met.

Yet.

Shane... She didn't even know where to start with Shane. There was the obvious, of course, given the situation: he'd come back to Morganville to act as a scout for his biker dad's anti-vampire war. It was a shame Frank Collins and his gang were such assholes - and she could refer to them as such, if only in her own head - or she might have been able to side with them, rather then hope they just went away. His sister... But she couldn't blame him for not wanting to discuss that. Though if she reminded him of her - due to actions, or circumstances, or general attitude, or whatever - enough to affect the way he treated her... Well, she thought she deserved to know then. She didn't want to be Alyssa's replacement. (Frankly, given her feelings for Shane, that would just be so _incredibly _wrong.)

In some fashion, be it big or small, occasionally or constantly, every single person she'd met in Morganville had lied to her.

Except for Amelie.

She didn't know if it was because of manners or some moral code - and this was the woman who'd just calmly admitted to having a hit put out on Shane's mother, claiming it had been the right thing to do, had been _merciful _- but Amelie had never lied to her. "I may not like what you're saying," Claire continued, some part of her hoping that she hadn't zoned out from the conversation long enough to be overly noticeable. "And in this case, I really don't, but... You may be brutally honest, at times, but you're always honest." She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "It's not meaningless to me. I just... thought you should know."

Amelie inclined her head gracefully, saying nothing. She didn't really need to, though. The gesture said 'you're welcome' as clearly as anything, and the look she was giving her... It might have been respect, or amusement, or maybe even a certain level of fondness. Claire honestly couldn't read Amelie's expression, beyond the fact that it _seemed _positive, and was directed at her.

And even that didn't matter.

She turned away and headed for the door, only to pause again. If Amelie was always honest with her, she'd likely appreciate the same courtesy in return. "Michael wants to see you. He didn't tell me why. I didn't press." She sighed quietly, not looking back. "He probably would have just lied, anyway." It's nothing, Claire, don't worry about it...

"I see." The vampire sounded thoughtful, and she had no idea if that was good or bad. "You may tell him you delivered his message." She didn't say anything about whether or not she'd actually go see him, Claire noted. Which meant that when he asked... She'd have to tell him the truth: that she had no idea what Amelie was going to do, and, gosh, maybe if he'd given her a few more details to offer...

She hid a smile, but suspected the Founder knew it was there, anyway.

"At least I came to you first, this time," she muttered, looking down. She hadn't brought anything with her, but she used the excuse of making sure she had everything to avoid eye contact with anyone else in the room. Plan A had failed, which meant that it was time to start preparing herself for Plan B.

The hell of it was, she couldn't really even resent Amelie for it. Shane _had _betrayed her trust - all of their trusts - and it had lead to the death of one vampire... and who knew if there'd been any humans, as well? Eve's brother might have had absolutely nothing to do with that poor girl's death.

She _really _hadn't liked the look of some of Mr. Collins' men.

"Indeed. You must know, however, that it is unlikely in the extreme that Oliver will wish to aid in your lover's defense."

"He's not my-" She cut herself off, shaking her head with a sigh. "I hope you're wrong," she said instead, giving Amelie a resigned look. "He's my next stop." She looked away again. "I really wish you'd said yes," she said quietly, before finally heading out the door.

She could feel Amelie's gaze boring into her back the whole way.


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Bloodlines, vol. 1 - Equinox (1/?)

Rating: PG-13, let's say? At least, for now.

Comments: The prologue takes place about midway through 'The Dead Girls' Dance', while the rest of the story takes place immediately after the book ends. AU. Also, my muse is evil. Consider yourselves warned.

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own The Morganville Vampires. (Any other fandoms that may or may not appear in the future will be addressed in the relevant chapters, so as to not spoil any possible surprises.) The OCs present, however, are mine. 

* * *

Had anyone asked, Claire would have freely admitted to being rather nervous as she slipped out the front door, envelope in her pocket.

Not that there was anyone around _to _ask her. That was one of the main reasons she'd barely waited until the sun had cleared the horizon before leaving the house, so that she could avoid any questions, or people trying to stop her, or tell her she was crazy. Also, her friends were still sleeping off the excitement of the night before, and she didn't want to wake any of them. (She'd barely been able to get any sleep, herself, as anxious as she was. She'd even resorted to doing a load of laundry, just for something to do besides fail to fall asleep.)

Besides, she had classes, later. No early morning classes, at least, thank goodness. She might actually be able to get two or three more hours of sleep after this was done, if all went well.

Which was probably a big if.

She had a sneaking suspicion she'd be relying on caffeine to get through the day.

It was a bit of a walk to the Day's house, but it gave her plenty of time to think. _Not that that's necessarily a good thing, _she reflected as she walked. The little bit of breakfast she'd hastily thrown together and all but inhaled was already sitting uneasily in her stomach, and dwelling on the situation was doing nothing to improve that.

She was about to sign herself over to Amelie. Had, in fact, already done so, if one wanted to be technical. She could always rip up the contract, though. Had come close to doing so more then once since last night. But she was stopped every time by the same thing that had made her sign it in the first place: knowing that if she didn't, her friends would pay for her selfishness. Possibly with their lives.

Or unlife, in Michael's case.

She was starting to think that maybe Amelie had a point in that regard. Sure, Michael was undead, but wasn't she, herself? She was alive, not dead, so she was technically-

Um, _wow. _Okay. A couple days of lousy sleep combined with almost constant tension made for some _serious _mental wandering, because she was getting so very far away from the point. This - making herself Amelie's... property, was the nicest way she could think of to phrase it, and even that sucked - was the only thing she could do to prevent any harm from coming to them.

She just hoped Shane would speak to her afterward.

Michael and Eve wouldn't be too thrilled with her choice, probably, but they would understand. Eventually. Shane... Well, she'd seen his reaction to the newly vampirized Michael. He'd probably view this as a similar betrayal.

Hopefully, he'd get over it, because she somehow doubted that Amelie would at some point just say, "Okay, I've changed my mind. You can go, now," and rip up the contract herself. Once Claire handed her the papers, that was it. She would be Amelie's.

She wasn't even letting herself think about school. Thoughts about CalTech or MIT would just paralyze her in her tracks, leaving her stuck in a morass of regret, anger, and bitterness. And if those thoughts got the better of her... It would mean Shane's life. Because the vampires _would _find an excuse, sooner or later. Hell, they'd kill him now, if they could get away with it. And if that happened, how long would Eve be able to resist the impulse to strike back with the contraband stakes, crosses, and other such items she had? Then she would die, too, and Michael... Well, it might start with Shane, but things would then snowball to include all of them. And if something happened to her, wouldn't her parents come to investigate, asking all manner of dangerous questions?

So she'd do it. She'd give herself over to Amelie, pray that she wouldn't throw up or do something similarly embarrassing, and try to go on with her life in Morganville, such as it was. It might not even be too bad. Amelie could be the most scary, badass vampire in town, but she didn't often show that side of herself. She could be... Well, not friendly, exactly, but calm and reasonable, at the very least.

When she finally reached the Day house, she wasn't really surprised to find Lisa on the porch. She had no idea if the girl had been waiting for her, and surprised herself by not quite caring. She didn't even bother to come up with a pretense for her visit. "I need to speak with her."

Lisa frowned. "Gramma isn't even awake, yet, and you're not-"

"Not her," Claire interrupted.

Lisa's eyes widened. Clearly, she hadn't forgotten the last time Claire had been there. She stood aside without a word, and Claire, her heart in her throat, entered the house. As before, she entered the second door off the hall.

And, as before, she didn't end up in the bathroom that everything she knew about physics - and that was a fair amount - said she should have been in.

Rather randomly, she thought that Amelie might want to hire an interior decorator. The study was just so _grim. _It could use some lighter, warmer colors.

_Right, because I'm sure **that's** what she cares about. _Well... Yeah, okay, there was that.

Amelie was waiting for her. She seemed to be alone, but... Claire peeked behind the door before she closed it. No one there. Somehow, she doubted that there was anyone hiding behind any of the furniture. Amelie, the next time Claire looked at her, had a faint smile of amusement on her face. "They will come if I call for them."

Did that mean verbally, or... something else? Given the mental powers she'd already seen vampires employee - and been hit with herself - and given how much older and stronger then all the others Amelie was, it wouldn't have taken much to convince Claire that she could, in fact, communicate telepathically.

It made more sense then the freaking teleporting.

"I, ah, brought you something," she said, trying to keep her anxiety out of her voice. She was mildly successful in that. She walked up to the desk Amelie was seated at - did the woman sleep _at all_? - and reached into a pocket, carefully withdrawing the handkerchief and placing it on the desk. She hadn't even risked putting it in the dryer, instead using her hair dryer set on low, then letting it air dry.

She made a mental note to try and always keep a small package of tissues on her at all times, just in case. She didn't ever want to have to borrow something like that again. It just made her nervous.

"I see. And was that all you wanted to give me?"

Yeah, not like it was hard to guess why she might have been there. "I have... a few questions, first. If that's all right."

Amelie inclined her head. "Understandable. Unlike your friends, you were not raised in Morganville, thus you lack their understanding of certain matters. What is it you wish to know?"

Claire swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Well... For starters, what, exactly, am I agreeing to? I mean, I get the basic concept, but... I read through it several times, but it was a bit... vague, on the details. From what Oliver said when I visited him that night..." She couldn't quite finish.

Amelie was _looking _at her, again. She supposed she'd have to get used to that, but... Yeah. "I have neither the time nor any particular inclination to... What is the current phrase? Ah, yes. To micro-manage your life. Whom you marry, whether you have any children... That is your concern."

Which was a relief, to be certain. Provided Shane didn't give Amelie - or anyone else - and further cause to distrust him, at any rate. She felt an immediate wave of guilt at the thought, but it wouldn't quite go away. "And... what isn't? I mean, what is it that you _do _want from me, exactly?" Because there was no way - no freaking way - that Amelie was doing this out of the goodness of her own heart.

"From time to time, I may call upon you to perform a small task for me, or run an errand."

"What, like... You might send me to pick up your dry cleaning, or something?"

One shoulder lifted and fell in an elegant half-shrug. "As an example, yes."

"Oh." She could handle that. She was also fairly certain Amelie already had people for that. "Is that all?"

"Anything further can be discussed at a later date."

"You mean, after I give you a signed contract and have your bracelet on my wrist?" After it was too late to back out.

Amelie allowed herself a smile. "Just so."

Well, it did make a kind of sense, she supposed. Why should Amelie share what might be confidential information with her before she'd sworn not to tell anyone? To do it, regardless of how she felt?

Didn't mean it wasn't annoying, of course.

"Which would be my service," Claire said slowly. "And my life... Well, that's obvious." And terrifying, that she could be expected to die at Amelie's word, and _she would have to do it. _She'd been raised to keep her word, no matter what. "But when you say my blood..." Unconsciously, she reached up to touch her throat. "Does that mean that you'd, um...?"

Amelie's intense gaze followed the motion, fixating on her throat - or rather, on her carotid artery. Claire's hand drifted back to her side, and it wasn't until she stumbled and slammed her right hand down against the edge of the desk to catch herself that she realized she'd been leaning forward, neck exposed. She could feel her heart literally skip a beat as she had an even more horrifying realization:

Amelie hadn't even been trying.

Claire could instinctively sense that what she'd been hit with was, essentially, a sort of psychic spillover. Amelie didn't even seem to be aware something was amiss. If the Founder ever turned the full force of her hunger on her...

She swallowed, with some difficulty.

If that happened, she was dead. Plain and simple, she was dead. She'd never even know something was wrong, would think it was a great idea. By the time she'd realize she'd been caught... she'd be dead.

Amelie's eyes had moved up to her face, now, which was a considerable relief. She straightened up, and Amelie inclined her head. "My apologies," she murmured. "I had not expected you until later, and have not yet fed."

She'd arrived before breakfast. Should she apologize for that?

"In any event, no, I would not feed from you regularly," Amelie continued. "I cannot say it will never happen, but that is not something you are likely to have to worry about in the near future. And if it does come to pass, rest assured that I will do you no lasting harm, and make the process as painless as possible for you."

"Thank you," Claire said, which just seemed like a ridiculous thing to say - thanking someone for saying they'll be gentle while they bite into your skin and drink your blood? - but was only good manners. And those mattered, when dealing with Amelie. Still, she felt relief at one less thing to worry about just then... and a tiny twinge of disappointment. Not that she wanted to be bitten, exactly, but... Well, she was curious as to what it would feel like. Her curiosity was what had driven her to learn as much as she had, to excel so drastically in scholastic matters.

And in Morganville, if she didn't keep it under control, it could kill her.

"Was there anything else?" Amelie, Claire had to admit, was being surprisingly patient with her. Sure, signing one's life away was a Pretty Huge Thing, and Amelie was certain to recognize that, but... Well, it reinforced the idea that there was something else, something big, that the Founder wanted from her.

Claire gave the question some thought. _Was _there anything else? She was fairly certain she grasped at least the basics of what Amelie expected from her, which had been the entire point of the conversation. But there was one thing... "What did you do to me?" she asked abruptly. "I don't mean now," she added before Amelie could ask if she was referring to the brief lapse of control that had very nearly snared her moments before. "Gramma- I mean, Katherine, said that you'd... marked me, somehow. That she could see it." She didn't say anything about how she was supposedly shining, not sure if that had been literal or metaphorical on Gramma Day's part.

"Indeed?" Amelie's eyes had gone flat, and Claire worried that she'd just gotten the Day family in trouble. "She was partially correct, but mostly mistaken. It was not I who marked you, so much as it was my house. You seem to have touched its Protections, and been touched by them in return. I'll not speculate as to your exact state of mind when you first moved in, but I suspect you were... upset."

"To put it mildly," Claire muttered under her breath.

A nod. "The Protections on the house are not meant to protect one from emotional harm, but as you saw with young Michael, it will act beyond its seeming restrictions. As to the how of it... That is a conversation best suited for another day." Unlike before, this time Claire got the sense that it wasn't that Amelie didn't want to talk about it until she formally owned Claire, so much as it was that they just didn't have _time _for that discussion right then.

Which was okay, because she was still trying to wrap her mind around the idea that the _house _had wanted to make her feel better. That was just... a little too much, at the moment. "Right," she said, then cleared her throat and tried again. "Right. So..." There was nothing else she could think of to ask - nothing else she could think of to stall with, she supposed - so before she lost her nerve completely, she reached into her pocket and withdrew the envelope with the signed contract inside it. After a moment's hesitation, she handed it to Amelie.

The Founder opened it and withdrew the papers, glancing over each one in turn until she reached the end. Once finished, she placed them on the desk and looked up at Claire, favoring her with a real smile. There was even some warmth to it. "Excellent," she murmured, then opened a drawer and withdrew a black box. It looked like a jewelry box, and Claire realized with a burst of giddy anxiety what was inside it. Sure enough, Amelie opened it and revealed the bracelet within.

_Her _bracelet.

Amelie rose gracefully to her feet, and Claire, without needing to be asked, held out her hand. She couldn't quite keep it from shaking, but Amelie politely pretended not to notice. Amelie's cool hands - she really did need to feed - glided over Claire's skin, distracting her until the bracelet was already around her wrist. Strange... She would have expected something that would affect her life so majorly to be heavier, but she barely noticed it.

"So... is there an easier way to get in touch with you, if I need to?" Claire asked randomly, forcing herself to stop looking at her new accessory. It wasn't like she wouldn't have plenty of time to study it later, after all. "It would be rather... impractical, to run down to the Day's house every time I needed to speak with you." Not that she was hoping it would happen often, but knowing the way her luck usually ran, 'just in case' would likely turn into 'sooner or later' eventually.

Amelie withdrew something else from the drawer, then closed it. She handed it to Claire, who blinked when she saw that it was a cell phone. Its casing was midnight blue, and she could tell that it had cost far more then her old one. She hadn't even known that Amelie had been aware of the fate of her previous phone. Then again, she always seemed to know far more then she should, so why not? "It has been pre-programmed with the number of someone who will be able to handle most issues, and can transfer the call to me in case of an emergency." She fixed Claire with a look. "Try not to have many emergencies."

"I always _try,_" she defended. "It's just... The rest of the town doesn't usually seem to want to cooperate."

Amelie sighed noiselessly. "A feeling I am far too familiar with."

"So... You gave me your secretary's number?" Claire asked, just to clarify matters.

Amelie considered that, then nodded. "Yes. You will keep that phone on you at all times, so I might reach you more easily. If I have need of you physically, I will be able to summon you just as easily from your own house as Katherine's. If not more so."

And wasn't that just creepy to think about? "Will do," she said, slipping the phone into her pocket. For a long moment, she was honestly unsure what to do next, and looked around the study for inspiration. Her eyes locked on the couch, and a memory she'd almost forgotten about floated to the surface. If Amelie hadn't brought up her first night in the Glass House, she doubted she would have thought of it, but now... "About that book of yours that we found..."

Amelie's eyes narrowed. "What of it?"

"Have you ever sat there and read it?" she asked, gesturing to the couch. "Or perhaps on a couch like the one back in that room at our house?"

Well, she'd successfully confused Amelie. If that was what she'd been going for, she would have felt proud of herself. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, this is going to sound weird, and you may think I'm crazy-" She broke off as she took stock of her situation, then huffed out a quiet laugh. "Then again, I'm standing here talking to a vampire who brought me into her study via some kind of magic teleportation, so maybe you won't." She shook her head. "Anyway, the first night I stayed in the house, I had this dream..." She hesitated, suddenly unsure if this was a good idea. _Too late to worry about that now. _Taking a deep breath, she pressed on. "There was someone, someone that I think could have been you - only this was long before I'd ever seen you, let alone met you - sitting there, reading a book... and... crying..." She trailed off, gulping at the suddenly _very _intense gaze Amelie was giving her. "Okay, yeah, you know what? Never mind. It was probably nothi- Ack!" She stumbled back a step as Amelie was suddenly there, right _there _in front of her. The vampire had a hold of her arm before she even made it a step, and she knew she was going nowhere. Amelie's grip was tight, but not enough to bruise.

So, there was that.

"That," Amelie whispered, "was a very long time ago. Before your grandparents' grandparents were born. How is it that you dreamed of that?"

Utterly bewildered, Claire stammered, "I... I-I was kind of hoping you knew." Okay, Amelie was _very _close, now, and all Claire could do was hope that her hunger didn't choose that moment to speak up.

"No... I shall have to think upon that." Abruptly, she released Claire and stepped back. "It is time, I think, for you to depart. I will have a driver waiting at Katherine's to return you to your home."

"Thank you, ma'am," Claire said, wasting no time in moving toward the door. "I'll see you... when I see you, I guess."

Amelie's lips flickered ever-so-briefly into what was almost a smile, but the serious look in her eyes never faded. "Indeed."

Never in her life had Claire been so grateful to find herself in a bathroom. Though, really, anywhere else would have been good just then. She looked down at her bracelet for a long moment, then sighed and headed back for the front door. All she had to do now was tell her friends about what she'd done.

Compared to that, facing Amelie might have been the easy part.


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Bloodlines, vol. 1 - Equinox (2/?)

Rating: PG-13, let's say? At least, for now.

Comments: The prologue takes place about midway through 'The Dead Girls' Dance', while the rest of the story takes place immediately after the book ends. AU. Also, my muse is evil. Consider yourselves warned.

Legal Disclaimer: I do not own The Morganville Vampires. (Any other fandoms that may or may not appear in the future will be addressed in the relevant chapters, so as to not spoil any possible surprises.) The OCs present, however, are mine. 

* * *

Claire had never actually ridden in a limo, before. She knew she shouldn't get used to it, that Amelie was not about to have her driver moonlight - or would it be sunlight, when dealing with vampires? - as Claire's chauffeur. This was probably just a one-time thing.

It was just... really nice, was all. Almost made her feel elegant.

The drive back to her house took very little time at all, and before she knew it, the driver was opening her door for her. Unlike the time she'd seen him bring Amelie to Oliver's shop, he didn't help her out of the car, but that was all right. She hardly considered herself in the same class of importance as the town's Founder, after all.

Still... Part of her wished that he could have dropped her off at school, if only to see how Monica and her friends reacted. It was a small, petty part of her, but she couldn't deny that it was there.

She made sure to thank him, and he nodded in acknowledgment before walking back around to the front driver's side door and getting back behind the wheel. He hadn't actually said a single word to her the entire time, and she had no idea if he was unable to for some reason, or if he simply hadn't had anything to say. She didn't think he'd been snubbing her, though. Somehow, she couldn't quite see Amelie tolerating that sort of rudeness from any of her trusted employees, and he had to be fairly trustworthy if she allowed him to transport her anywhere, much less know where to pick her up from. Granted, she apparently could stealthily move around the town at will, but even so...

It occurred to her to that Amelie likely didn't really _need _a driver at all. So why have one? Maybe she didn't want to broadcast that she had that capability. Claire made a mental note to keep her mouth shut on the subject, at the very least until she knew more.

It also occurred to her that she had been standing motionless in front of the house for a full minute, and that she had to go in sooner or later. She sighed quietly, steeled herself, and marched up to the front door.

She'd barely started turning the knob before the door was torn open, making her stumble forward a step before she recovered her balance. Eve was standing there, looking at her with wide eyes. "Where have you been?" she demanded, yanking Claire inside the house and shutting the door behind her.

"Good morning to you, too," Claire grumbled, tugging her wrist free of Eve's grasp. "You _do _realize that it's daylight outside, right?" Really, just because every window so equipped had its shades or curtains drawn for Michael's safety, she didn't see how Eve could have missed it, even before she'd opened the door. "You know, sunlight?"

"And _you _know that the vampires have people to do things for them during the day," Eve shot back. "And just because they can't be out in the sun doesn't mean they're not up and moving."

"Oh, I remember," Claire assured her, right hand briefly reaching up to touch her throat, where Oliver had been holding her the day before.

God, was that all it had been? Not even twenty-four hours?

"And add to that Shane's dad and his asshole friends," Eve continued, but Claire cut her off.

"Speaking of vampires, is Michael up?"

"Why? Where were you, anyway?" Eve asked, confused. Well, that was better then the angry/scared combination she'd had going moments before.

Claire ignored her questions. "Could you go get him? And Shane, too? I'd rather tell you all together, get it over with all at once."

Eve eyed her warily. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that," she commented.

_You'll like the explanation even less. _"Please?"

Eve hesitated, then sighed. "I'm not sure if Shane's even awake, yet. This may take a few minutes. We'll meet you in the living room." Claire nodded in agreement, and Eve, still looking unhappy, headed for the stairs.

Claire moved into the living room and parked herself on the couch, trying not to fidget. Oh, this wasn't going to be fun. They wouldn't kick her out, at least. And really, it wasn't as if she was the only one to take action of her own initiative that would affect them all, was it? Michael had become a vampire - and if he could stay after that, she _knew _she wasn't about to have to move back into the dorms - Shane had made that little deal with Brandon - because of her, **and** without telling her - not to mention calling in his dad and the Biker Brigade, Eve would have stormed the town square to rescue Shane without a second thought as to how that would have screwed all of them, even if she had died in the attempt...

She took a deep breath, feeling her stomach settle a bit. Really, compared to all that, what was agreeing to wear a bracelet? Nothing, that was what. (She hadn't exactly _forgotten _that it entailed more then that, but she needed to psych herself up for the coming confrontation, and it _was _all she'd had to do so far.)

"...the hell's the big deal?" Shane's voice asked through a yawn, and Claire looked up to see Eve herding him and Michael into the room. Michael looked even more tired, and Claire realized with a wince that, as a young vampire, being up during the day had to be hard for him. She regretted not being able to let him go back to sleep, but it really was for the best that they get all the discussion out of the way now.

"I don't know. Apparently, Claire has something to tell us," Eve replied, settling onto the other end of the couch. Michael claimed one of the chairs, and Shane, after another moment's hesitation, plopped down on the other one. Part of Claire would have liked to have had him closer, but maybe this would be better. Just in case he didn't react as well as she'd like.

Not that she believed for one second that Shane would hurt her. That was just ridiculous, at least in physical terms. Emotionally, on the other hand...

Well, that was another story.

"Something to do with how you snuck out so early?" Michael asked, shaking himself a little more awake.

"I didn't sneak," Claire defended. "I walked right out the front door. And yeah, it is about that. I had... something I needed to do." She held up her wrist.

"Semantics. You know... what..." He trailed off as he got a good look at her new fashion accessory, and silence descended over the room as the three of them stared at it, processing exactly what it meant.

Eve found her voice first. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"Because I had to," Claire replied, just as softly. "Because her informal protection wasn't good enough, anymore. For any of us. Especially in relation to Oliver."

"So you decided to sell yourself to Amelie?" Shane asked harshly.

"She was the best possible choice," Claire shot back. "After Oliver tried to... It's better that it's her. I can trust her."

"More then Oliver, anyway," Eve muttered.

Shane had that look on his face, again. Not quite to the same degree as when he'd thought that Michael had wanted to be turned just to be able to come after him, but definitely reminiscent of that. "And what did she want in return for...?"

"In return for Protection for all of us? Me. She wanted me." She allowed her hand to drop back to her lap.

"You shouldn't have had to do that," Eve said, shaking her head.

"Should anyone?"

Unsurprisingly, no one had an answer for that.

"Wanted you for what?" Michael asked hesitantly.

Claire shrugged. "If you're asking if there's some specific something she wanted me in particular for, she hasn't said anything about it, yet. When she decides she wants something, she'll let me know."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Shane demanded, getting up to pace. "_Selling yourself _to one of them? To _her_? She's one of the worst of them!"

Inexplicably, she felt defensive about the absent vampire. "She is not! And she's saved our butts before, remember?"

"She didn't seem to have any problem with tossing me to the wolves before!"

_"Because you betrayed her!" _She was on her feet by now, fists clenched as she stared him down. The strength of her reaction surprised her. Evidently, she'd been more upset with him then she'd thought. "But it wasn't just _her, _was it? It was all of us!"

He'd frozen in place when she first shouted at him, and now flinched back as if she'd slapped him. "Claire-" he began, but she kept going, rolling over any protests he might have made. Now that she'd started venting, she couldn't quite stop just yet.

"If Michael hadn't been bound to the house, he'd be _dead _right now! Eve and I would have been killed trying to save you! And your father and his friends... Do you know how many people they killed? And yes, I did say _people, _not just vampires. Or what else they would have done, if they hadn't been pressed for time?" Unbidden, the memory of the biker that had cornered her and Eve surfaced, and she shoved it back down with a shudder. They were fine, Michael had revived and gotten there in time. "How about when we went to that damned dance to look for Sam and see if he might be able to help you? Do you have _any idea _what almost happened to me? And I'm not even talking about your dad and his commandos. And now Michael's trying to get used to being a vampire, all because of what Oliver did to him back when, and all you can think about is **yourself**?"

Dead silence had fallen over the room as Shane gaped at her, broken only by the ragged sound of her breathing heavily as she strained to keep some scrap of her temper in check. Michael and Eve were staring at her in shock, obviously too stunned by mousy little Claire finally exploding to intervene, but she barely noticed.

"So **yes**, Shane, I am trusting Amelie. Because I _can _trust her. Because she's the kind of person who'll warn you very clearly before she does anything violent. Because she's never **once** lied to me. So, yeah. I signed her contract. I'm wearing her bracelet. And you know what? I'm okay with that. So you're going to have to figure out how to handle it, too." She looked around the room. "All of you."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm down. "So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get ready for class." Because there was no way she was going to get back to sleep now, no matter how much time she had left. "And, quite frankly, I cannot wait to see Monica's reaction when she sees this." She tapped her bracelet. Without waiting for a reaction - not that any of the others had recovered enough to speak, quite yet - she headed for the stairs.

In theory, that could have gone worse.

But then, who knew what would happen once everyone had a chance to digest everything she'd said?


End file.
